1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor manufacture, and more particularly, to the connection of an electronic device to external circuitry.
2. Related Art
As illustrated in FIG. 1, which depicts a related art module a printed circuit card 12 is conventionally connected to a substrate 14, such as a chip package, using a plurality of solder ball connections 16. However, because the card 12 and the substrate 14 expand at different rates when exposed to a thermal stimulus, due to the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of each, stresses are created within the solder ball connections 16 which often lead to solder ball fatigue, and subsequently result in failure of the module 10. This is particularly problematic in ceramic, glass/ceramic and aluminum/ceramic modules. Also, due to the flexibility of organic substrate modules, thermal-driven warpage may further exacerbate the problem. Accordingly, there exists a need in the industry to solve these and other problems.
A first general aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device, comprising: a first substrate; a second substrate; and a flexible connector attached between the first and second substrates by a plurality of contacts on a first and a second surface of the connector.
A second general aspect of the present invention provides a connector system, comprising: a flexible substrate; a plurality of contacts formed on a first surface of the substrate; and a plurality of contacts formed on a second surface of the substrate, wherein select contacts on the first surface of the substrate are off-set from select contacts on the second surface of the substrate.
A third general aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming an electronic device, comprising: providing a flexible connector having a plurality of contacts on a first surface and a plurality of contacts on a second surface; and attaching the flexible connector between a first substrate and a second substrate via the contacts.
A fourth general aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming an electronic device, comprising: providing a first substrate; providing a second substrate; providing a flexible connector having a plurality of contacts on a first surface of the connector and a plurality of contacts on a second surface of the connector, wherein select contacts on the first and second surface of the connector are off-set; and attaching the contacts on the first surface of the connector to the first substrate and the contacts on the second surface of the connector to the second substrate.
The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the embodiments of the invention.